Mining machine head



June 18, 1968 J. KOZAR 3,388,949

MINING MACHINE HEAD Filed Dec. 22, 1965 Fig. 1 l0 9 /2 l3 /3 i /Z /5 2 M /4 l0 l? 25 ii /3 23 I I" /o 22 A3 Z5 26 Z /Z 23 1 /5 24 2/ 5 20 A4 a a l? )0 ,4 INVENTOR.

/2 /5 l3 JOSEPHLKOZAK BY Gamma-25 0/920 THEZS Ms A r ram/2 rs United States Patent 0 3,388,949 MHNENG MACH-RENE HEAD Joseph L. Kozar, Salem, ilhio, assignor to The daiem Tool Company, Salem, @hio, a corporation 0t @hio Filed Dec. 22, 1965, No. 515,67il 3 Claims. (@l. 29--$7) ABSTRAQT 0F THE DKSCLQSURE This invention relates generally to a mining machine head and more particularly to a mining machine head having an improved inner cutter element.

In the use of mining auger assemblies when mining various materials in their natural state, it is not an infrequent event to find that the materials, as they are mined, are not of a nature to break up into chunks'and pieces due to the fact that such materims have no definite cleavage planes and possesses the inherent ability to cling together as a mass.

in the auger mining machine head of the type having an advanceable cutter element with a passage through the interior, a central breaker may be provided in order that the material being mined may be wedged into the interior of the cutter element, and thus broken up in chunks of convenient size for conveying the material rearwardly out of the cutter element. Such mining machine heads are commonly called barrel auger heads and one such head is disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,562,841. Such a mining machine head has been found very desirable in coal mining because of its ability to remove coal from the working face without breaking the coal up into undesirably small pieces.

Other mining machine heads of this type have been developed which possess an inner cutter element as well as an outer cutter element such as shown in patent application Ser. No. 475,688, filed duly 29, 1965.

From use of these types of mining machine heads, it a has been experienced that, depending upon the cleavage planes of the material being mined as well as its grindability, these heads may or may not advance efficiently as well as successfuliy into the material to be mined. Thus, it has been found necessary, many times, to construct the mining head to meet the needs of the material being mined, such needs having faster penetration rate without high shock loads and at the same time remove the mined material from within the cutter element as fast as possible.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a mining machine head utilizing a breaker structure in combination with a cylindrical cutter element that is highly acceptable in mining materials having no definite cleavage planes such as soft coal and potash. One of the advantages of the breaker structure comprising this invention is the ability of the breaker structure, in cooperative relation with the outer cylindrical cutter element, to cut and break up the soft material being mined and simultaneously conveying the mined material rearwardly of the breaker and pilot bit. The prior structures of the art have been previously intended for mining hard "ice materials, such as hard coal, and their use in mining softer materials without definite cleavage planes results in the material as it is mined becoming packed and clogged Within the mining machine head slowing down, if not priodically stopping, the conveyance of material through the mining head to the auger sections. The mining machine head comprising this invention has been found to improve the rate of conveyance of the material, as mined and broken up, out of the mining machine head than any presently known breaker and barrel type head.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a mining machine head utilizing a breaker structure in combination with an outer cylindrical cutter element which permits a faster penetration rate into the material being mined as well as smoothing out the penetration rate without the high shock loads experienced with one type and cylindrical and arcuate cutter type breakers as previously employed.

The mining machine head comprising this invention includes a rotatable unit having an advanceable cutter element which is barrel-shaped and has a plurality of cutting bits on its forward end to cut an annular clearance keri. A second inner cutter element is secured within the outer cutter element and consists of a conical shaped central piece upon which at least one radial cutter arm is secured thereto. More than one such arm may be employed but it has been found that one such arm is suificient to properly, as well as efliciently, break up and convey rearwardly the material being mined.

The radial cutter arm is helically fitted to the cone section of the breaker. The rearward end of the arm ends at the forward edge of the auger fighting which fiighting usually er'tends from the auger section into the interior of the outer cutter element. The cutter arm of the inner cutter element is of increasing width from its forward end to its rearward end but its greatest width is spaced from the inside of the outer cutter element to permit the efficient passage of mined material through the mining head by the radial cutting arm. A plurality of cutting bit holders and bits are provided on the outer and rearwardly extending edge to aid the breaker in breaking up the mined material as it is simultaneously conveyed rcarwardly by the cutter arm. The radial cutter arm has a greater pitch than that of the conventional auger flighting due to the fact that the breaker structure must not only have the necessary ability to aid in conveying material rearwardly but also be eltective in breaking up the mined materials entering the mining machine head.

Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter in the following description and claims.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplification Without limiting the invention or claims thereto, certain practical embodiments illustrating the principles of this invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in vertical section of the barrel and breaker mining head comprising this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in front elevation of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the figures, the mining machine head consists of the outer cylindrical cutter element 1 and the inner cutter element 2. The outer cylindrical cutter element 1 is a cylindrical barrel within which the helical conveyor fiight section 3 is supported and received thereto. The helical conveyor section 3 is also secured to the tubular shaft 4 as indicated 5 and the end of shaft 4 is provided with a square socket 6 to receive a driving shank or pin 7 of the inner cutter element 2.

The outer cutter element or barrel 1 is provided at its forward end with an annular rim 8 to support the bifurcated bit holders 1%. The bit holders 10 in turn support the bits 11, and as indicated in FIG. 1, the position of the central most bit is indicated as 12 and the bits cutting the clearance on the inner Side being indicated at 13 and the bits cutting the clearance on the outer side of the barrel being indicated at 1 The bit holders and their hits 11 are slipped over the forward edge or" the rim 8 and intervally spaced and secured thereto as indicated in FIG. 2. The bits 11 when worn or broken may be removed by loosening the bolt 9 and replacing the old bit with new bit and then tightening the bolt 9 to hold the new bit in the bit holder 19. The bits 13 and 14 cut a suthciently wide clearance to permit the advancement of the barrel into the material to be mined.

The barrel 1 may also be provided with the wear strip 15 on its outer cylindrical surface, as shown in FIG. 1, to prevent excessive wear of the barrel 1 during rotatable movement.

The second or inner cutter element 2 consists of the cone section 16 which is secured to the shank 7 that supports the cutter element 2 in the mining machine head. The forward end of the cone section 16 is provided with a square socket 17 to receive the driving pin 18 of the pilot bit 20.

The cone section 16 of the inner cutter element 2 is provided with a radial cutter arm 21 which is helically fitted to the cone section 15 starting from its forward end rearwardly and helically to the rearward end of the cone section which is indicated at 22. The rearward end 22 of the cutter arm 21 is also the forward end of the auger section 3. It should be noted that the largest width of the cutter arm 21 is at the point 22. The radial distance of the cutter arm 21 at no time extends to the inside surface of the barrel 1 but is generally no greater than substantially one half of the radial distance of the outer cutter element 1.

The radial cutter arm 21 is provided with a plurality of bifuracated bit holders 23 on its outer helical edge 24 which supports the bits 25. The bits 25 are replaceable and held in the bit holders 23 by the bolts 26. The bits 25 aid in breaking up the soft mined materials into a convenient size for conveying the same rearwardly in the barrel 1. Thus, for materials of a nature having no definite cleavage plane patterns, the breaker structure comprising this invention materially improves the method of mining such material by providing a cooperative relaton of the cone section 16 and the bits 25 in breaking up the material, as mined, so that it may, at the same time be conveyed rearwardly by the arm 21 to the auger section fiighting 3 which will remove the material from the mining machine head. It should be noted that the cutter arm 21 also functions to maintain a steady continuous rearward pressure on the mined material in order to maintain a smooth continuous conveyance of such materials through the auger section within the mining machine head.Thus, the penetration rate of the head is smoother in mining such materials eliminating the high shock loads or intermittent conveyance and thus intermittent mining, experienced with other types of mining machine heads not suitable for mining materials of a soft nature or having no definite cleavage pattern.

From FIG. 1, it can be seen that the helical pitch of the auger fiighting 3 is designated as 27. It should be noted that the helical advancement of the cutter arm 21 is a much longer distance so that it is evident that the helical pitch of the cutter arm 21 is substantially longer than the helical pitch 27 of the auger section. This is illustrated by the fact that one-quarter of the helical pitch 27, designated as 28, is a smaller distance than onequarter of the helical pitch of the cutter arm 21, designated as as. This factor is important as previously pointed out, in that the cutter arm 21 must be elfective not only to break the materials mined as they enter the barrel, but also must have the ability to convey the materials, as broken up, rearwardly through the mining machine head by applying a continuous pressure on the materials as they pass through the auger section 3 in the mining machine head. This relation must always be retained in order for the mining machine head of this invention to be elfective in mining materials having no definite cleavage pattern.

Two radial cutter arms 21 may be employed in the mining machine head on opposite sides of the cone section 16 but such a structure has been found not to materially improve the rate of penetration and conveyance. Such a structure, however, is of more utility when a double auger flighting is employed on the auger sections.

I claim:

A mining machine head including a rotatable unit having an advanceable first cutter element with a passage therethrough and a plurality of bits in holders mounted on its forward end to cut an annular clearance kerf and a second cutter element secured within said first cutter element and carrying a demountable pilot bit at the center of rotation of said mining machine head characterized in that said second cutter element has at least one radial cutter arm having a back sweeping leading edge that extends outwardly and slopes rearwardly from the forward end of said second cutter and is spaced from said first cutter element, and bit holders along said leading edge of said radial cutter arm with forwardly extending bits.

2. A mining machine head including a rotatable unit having an advanceablc first cutter element with a passage therethrough and a plurality of bits in holders mounted on its forward end to cut an annular clearance keri and a second cutter element secured within said first cutter element and carrying a demountable pilot bit at the center of rotation of said mining machine head characterized by a helically shaped cutter arm extending radially and rearwardly of the center of rotation on said second cutter element commencing from the forward end thereof inwardly within the first cutter but spaced from said first cutter element, bit holders intervally spaced along the leading edge and carrying forwardly extending bits, said b t holders on said cutter arm increasing in distance from the center of rotation of said second cutter element to cut into and break up the mined material and simultaneously convey the same rearwardly within the mining machine head.

3. The mining machine head of claim 2 including an auger section comprising a tube section and having a helical conveyor flighting formed thereon connected to said first cutter, said helically shaped radial cutter arm of said second cutter having a greater helical pitch than said helical conveyor llighting on said auger section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,562,841 7/1951 Compton 299-87 2,733,057 1/1956 Letts 299-87 X 2,793,707 7/1957 Kandle 299-87 X ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner. 

